Empire Airlines

[blingair]

Yes i'm still here. but I've been on paid leave/Vacation since I moved to GEG. Now this is the schedule to die for. Ahhhh yes the good ol' JNU day.

You talking about being furloughed dude? Or a much deserved rest?
I was trying to explain to my F/O the other day that the Barber Pole is a goal and not a limitation and about how its "good to test the "Bank Angle" warning every now and then ala the Hot Rod...pause... deer in the head lights.
You'll be interested to know that in India, if the VMO horn, or any other such warning goes off, even for a second, for any reason, you get to take the next day off, wake up REALLY early, travel across the country, get yelled at, take a whole days training (might not be on said subject) and sign a paper claiming you suck and will never do it again. Oh, and also, any aborted t/o, go around/missed approach and/or air return automatically produces the same punishment and a PIB or Pilots Investigative Board. Think courtroom settings where their version of the FAA, the DGCA, comes with several guys to quarterback the pee out of you. And where your attorney, the Chief Pilot, competes for the DGCA's time to scream at you too. It's awesome! I've never heard an Indian crew member say the word Safe or Safety. Just I don't want to get in trouble.
Every day the CVRs and FDRs from every airplane are down loaded and scruntinzed and WILL absolutely be held against you, because as we all know, this make us better pilots and thus safer.
Oh, and by the way again, after all this, the minute your witch hunt is over and you're just a smoldering, tired mess, dispatch calls you to help them out of a jam.
Oh, ya too, the f/o's aren't signed off to take off and land and don't have a multi-ticket and most have only flown two airplanes, a C-172 and the ATR and their f/o job is their first job ever.

Oh, the days of punching a grumpy into a plastic bag while flying in the lower flight levels over Portland at 4 o'clock in the morning.

I'll get the marshmellows.

 

[currycarrier]

Bling speaks the truth

December first Bling December first !!

 

[blingair]

48 and a wake, a pause for the cause and we are gone mofo's! Thats one thing you can bank on.
With the downsizing and all the cancelled flights, I hope we make it that long.
BTW, nice, CurryCarrier...thats hot.

 

[thunderworm]

is jet airways going to be kicking out atr captians as well. i heard they let go most of the 737 guys. i know some more people are going there and was wondering if they will even make it online.

 

[Gas Man]

Last one back to Empire is a rotten egg!!!!!

 

[blingair]

BTW, for those with the "grass is greener" itch and are having the constant brain fart of entertaining the thought of going to India, I HIGHLY recommend a operational pause and give yourself a long hard thought about what you are giving up and what you are getting yourself into. Included with the above posts, there is also other such considerations to think about. Like, it's freaking India! Make no mistake it is the filthiest most polluted place on earth. A place so far from home that you literally feel it in your bones. You are incarcerated for at least two very long months working in less than ideal work conditions. The average expat lasts 8 months. That should tell you something. Then what do you do? To me and many of my fellow inmates, the money is not that great considering what you leave/give up. Not to mention that you are responsible for you own food, internet and other such items. About $30-40 bucks a day. So those who are on the India band wagon, please make dam sure you know what you are getting into. It should be a last resort. Thats my opinion at least.

 

[blingair]

Worm,
ya Jet sacked (we call it fired) about 2000 employees. Mainly cabin crew in training and those with less than 1 years service. Included were about 100 f/o's and f/o expats who were in the same boat. Mainly 737 pilots. The problem was that the company didnt properly tell its employees that they were getting the axe. Here in India, the company provides transportation to and from the airport for most of its employees. So these people are waiting for the car to show early in the morning to pick them up. When it didnt show up, they called H.Q. and were told they were fired. Some only received the news via text message. Like other places, aviation is a magnet for newsmakers and India is no exception- even worse in my opinion. So the employees storm the corporate offices and other key hubs with the media in tow, the army is called and a big hub-bub ensues for several days. The Aviation minister, think FAA Administrator who is up for election next month, gets involved and threatens to ban Jet from several key domestic airports and airspace. All this, coupled with plummeting passenger loads due to the massive negative headlines leads the Chairman to take back all the fired employees right away. Officially there was no external pressure to take them back but a "change of heart" of the Chairman. It was a grand act of compassion but it also showed great weakness to the competition.
As it stands now, numerous flights have been cancelled and continue to do so on a day to day basis. We expats make the real money in over time that can be effected by losing just a couple of days, so we are losing thousands of dollars. Many are calling this and the merger between King Fisher/Deccan and Jet Airways the end of the growing aviation bubble (yea, I know, I'm sick of hearing that expression too) due to the end of the LCC model.
So like many other companies every where, it's a waiting game. Until then, you try to get a Plan B and update the ol' resume.

 

[Snakum]

I see our eight graders are back. Spare us the torture and PM each other for crissakes.

Thanks for the admonishment, Grampa. Maybe we'll all be cranky and constipated when we're so old we fart dust ... but I hope not. :nuts:

Please carry on, gents. Some of us are enjoying the thread.

 

[thunderworm]

ya pretty much what i heard as well. i for one am not going since i don't like curry that much and like it even less coming out of someones pores.

i can't believe that you have to pay for your own food and internet thats terrible. there is no way that you would have to do that back in the states.

the first one back to empire should shoot yourself in the head since you would have no brains anyway. can't you remember how bad it was there before you left.

 

[reepicheep]

Any info about Empire Airlines on here?